book one: unrequited || sword art online

Chapter 5

Published: 10/25/2015; Sunday; 11:20pm; Unedited

Will soon be making a drawing of Mue in her armor.

I had noticed that Kirito wasn't in the front lines with me at some point, during one of our plan meetings, and opened up his name immediately and began sending a message.

"Mue," a cold and strict voice called out to me, making me pause at hitting the send key and flicked my eyes up to Asuna. She had joined the Knights of Blood Oath and eventually made it into the higher-ups, surprising me greatly. But that didn't really change our relationship, she tried to use it against me, and I come up with excuses to not do as she says because it pisses me off.

But I now have the ultimate comeback.

"Yes?" I asked, finger still hovering over the key.

"What are you doing? We are in the middle of a meeting?" She hissed, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, and I was listening while typing a message to my battle partner." She already knew who I was talking about and narrowed her eyes, giving me a look of...actually, I didn't know this look. Huh.

"Do it later."

"Mm," I pretended to think, "nah, I'm good." Pressing the send key and the little message I wrote disappeared, going off to Kirito. Asuna's face flamed, and she stalked towards me.

"I am leader in this meeting and raid, you will listen to me or--"

"Or what, Asuna?" I drawled, "you'll tell me to leave? That I can't be in the raid or front lines? Big whoop, I'm not here for you, I'm here for myself. We all want to clear this game, yeah, but I couldn't care less if I died. I am under no obligation to be here and listen to you because I don't need you, you need me."

All was silent, and Asuna looked to have been slapped by the expression she had, but immediately replaced with an expressionless one. She pointed to the door, "Then leave."

I walked over to the exit, pausing, and looking back with a smug grin, "Message me when you need me." Continuing on, I went to go visit Agil, who had decided to open up his own shop (and normally on the front lines helping but has been sitting a couple out now since he's still setting up).

I looked over to a clothes shop, seeing that they did customized outfits and armor, I really had to stop and think. In the end, I went in giddily and went to the owner, who was a player and not an NPC, "Welc--"

"Can you teach me how to sew?" I asked, smiling. I don't like spending my col, and when I do, it's only for sword and armor. I already maxed out my cooking skill and was getting bored, so why not max out the sewing skill?

"Uh-- wha--"

"I mean the basics, like how to start," I explained. He made a face before sighing.

"Sure, why not."

I smiled wider, if that's even possible, "When do we start?"

"How about now, er..."

"Sorry, I'm Mue."

"Mue?! As in the Ice Queen from the front lines?!" He suddenly shouted, and I blinked then scowled.

"I knew he was hiding something from me," I grumbled, shaking your head. "Yes, that is me, I suppose."

"A-ah, sorry, you're just know for your i-ice cold eyes and personality..."

"Well, I'm just excited to learn a knew skill for myself," I glared at the counter, "sorry if I wasn't what you were expecting."

"N-no!" I looked at the guy who was shifting from foot to foot, "If anything, you were better than what I was expecting..." heat rose up to my cheeks at those words. I hadn't really been complemented on anything before, I was always 'scary' to others. He coughed, "I'm Yuu."

"I-I see...so! Where do we start?" I got my composure back together, and but my hands on my hips. He took me to the back of the shop, and we sat down on what I'm guessing is the break table and got some cloth and needles with string.

"You'll have trouble for a while, but you get used to it and your skill will start to increase and so will your speed. Of course it's easier here than it is in real life."

I hummed as he showed me how to do it before handing new ones to me. I was just making a plain shirt. I could do this.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My eye twitched in irritation, I had only gotten my skill up by five points in three hours and was honestly about to go grinding to let out my frustration. Sewing was a lot harder than learning now to cook! I let out a groan, slamming down the needle and 'shirt' on the table, "I don't know how you had the patience to do this! What's even your skill in sewing?!" I asked Yuu, who was making his own clothes for people who have come in and requested for items. He paused and looked over at me with an amused expression.

"I make clothes in real life as well, I help my mother with her shop, she's a seamstress. I hadn't the patience then, but I do now, so I maxed it out as soon as I could," he looked out in the distance, smiling. I calmed down, but my thoughts went to my family.

My brother must have come home, me not answering the door, he must have thought I went to sleep and used the emergency key hidden in the bush. I know he wouldn't enter my room without permission, but, I can't help but wonder who found me.

Who had found me playing the game I loved-- which winded me up on a possible death bed. I shook my head and looked down at the cloth in my hands (though it was supposed to be a shirt, it looked nothing like it). I smiled a bit, and threw it away, grabbing new material, "Let's try again." I glanced at Yuu, who sent me a smile and went back to his own work, and I returned to my new one.

I relaxed and concentrated, and began long hours of hard work, pain, and tears.